Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

According to the system's prompts, Vladimir, the Crimson Reaper, has been completely eliminated, with no chance of resurrection through blood magic or any other secret arts. However, the same cannot be said for the Pale Lady. 

The mechanical forces eliminated hundreds of her avatars—men, women, and children alike—simultaneously. Within the Black Rose, "LeBlanc," the mastermind behind the organization, was captured and personally interrogated by Swain and Li Lin. 

Thanks to Raum's secret-revealing abilities and Li Lin's "truth serum," LeBlanc disclosed many hidden truths about herself. Her avatars are spread throughout Runeterra; only a small fraction reside in the Immortal Bastion. Apart from the heavily guarded Piltover and Zaun and the recently destabilized Demacia—rocked by the Mage Rebellion and the reform of the Magic Codex—her presence extends to Shurima, Ionia, Bilgewater, the Freljord, and even the distant lands of Camavia in the Far East. 

LeBlanc herself has long since lost her original persona. Every avatar represents a fragment of her mind, a different facet of her identity. Unless all her trickster clones are eradicated, the Pale Lady will persist. 

But Swain has no time to deal with her now. Nearly one-third of the Immortal Bastion's leadership has been wiped out, and he must stabilize the situation quickly to prevent the Empire—just entering a phase of recovery—from collapsing again. 

Meanwhile, Li Lin has deployed a series of mechanical units, including stealth drones, aerial combat machines, and battle engineers, to scour Runeterra for more of the Pale Lady's avatars, aiming to eliminate them and forestall future chaos. 

With Noxus temporarily stabilized, Li Lin turned his attention to the Freljord and Ionia. 

In the Freljord, Ashe was reluctant to fight her sworn sister, Sejuani, and repeatedly attempted diplomatic talks with the Winter's Claw. She even sent supplies to help them survive the harsh winter. 

Sejuani and some of her warriors, however, had been influenced by Volibear after a visit to the Ursine tribe with Udyr, becoming more prone to rage and violence. Combined with the Winter's Claw's tradition of battle and raiding, the initial negotiations were difficult. 

The situation escalated when Li Lin's mechanical army approached the northern border of Ornn's Forge, nearly provoking Volibear himself. The smaller tribes under the Winter's Claw splintered, many defecting to the Avarosan Tribe. 

Sejuani, abandoned by some of her followers, resolved to fight to the death but was betrayed and knocked unconscious by her own warriors. With the Winter's Claw defeated, the Avarosans emerged as the dominant tribe of the Freljord, controlling nearly two-thirds of the region and earning widespread support. 

However, the Frostguard and the Iceborn Witch to the northeast, residing above the Abyss, remained silent about Ashe's rise to power. Ashe, aware of Lissandra's actions from her participation in the League of Legends summit, maintained her vigilance against the Frostguard. 

With the Freljord temporarily settled, Li Lin shifted focus to Ionia, primarily dealing with the integration of new League of Legends members. 

Shen continued his duties diligently, visiting various provinces and meeting with the leaders of the Lasting Altar. However, he failed to meet the reclusive new Karma, who had been confined after destroying a Noxian steel battleship years ago. 

At the Hirana Monastery, Shen encountered the Storm Monks and exchanged insights with the prodigious monk Lee Sin, who was mastering the Dragon Spirit. Initially, the monks were uninterested in joining an international alliance, preferring their peaceful, secluded traditions. However, Shen convinced them by presenting the imminent global crisis and the aid the League could provide. 

Shen and Kennen also visited the ruins of Wuju Village, meeting the last Wuju Bladesman, Yi. Enlightened and detached from worldly affairs, Yi refused to return to the mortal world unless the global crisis threatened Runeterra itself. However, Shen and Kennen earned his gratitude by helping cleanse the corrupted spirits of Wuju, and he reluctantly agreed to visit the Institute of War. 

Due to time constraints, Shen could not visit the distant Zhyun and Qaelin Provinces, known for their independence. 

The Shadow Order, in contrast, had been relatively inactive, even clashing with several Vastaya clans. Li Lin suspected that Kusho, corrupted by shadow magic, was behind the turmoil but decided to let Zed uncover his master's transformation and resolve the matter himself. Li Lin also planned to involve Shen, hoping it would mend the rift between the two "brothers" and foster unity. 

Once matters in these two regions were handled, Swain informed Li Lin that the Immortal Bastion was stable enough to address Mordekaiser's resurgence. 

Li Lin sent a message to Shurima and personally traveled to Mount Targon to invite the Aspects of War and Twilight to join the Ascended. Recently, the Ascended army had grown to include the centaur god Taarosh, discovered by Aatrox on the Shadow Isles, and the lizard deity Naganeka, located by Varus in Ionia's Navori Province. 

Both Taarosh and Naganeka were former allies of Aatrox, and with the restoration of their celestial forms, they pledged loyalty to Azir. The newly reborn Ascended army now numbered eight, excluding the still-sealed Renekton. Meanwhile, three Darkin weapons had been located, though time had yet to allow their retrieval. 

With this bolstered strength, combined with the purification magic of the second-stage Ascended and the power of Aurelion Sol, Li Lin's confidence in confronting the "Underworld Crisis" grew significantly. 

Using Heimerdinger's earlier invention—a device capable of traversing the physical and spiritual realms—Li Lin made enhancements and deployed it across the land. 

As runic markings lit up the sky and blue-white beams of light surrounded the assembled forces, the portal activated. 

In the blink of an eye, they were transported to the other side of existence—the Realm of the Dead. 

(End of Chapter)

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